What was said on the campaign trail Monday

The main points of the Liberal platform – three years of deficit spending on infrastructure, higher taxes on the wealthiest Canadians and lower rates for most others – were released long ago. According to the CTV/Globe and Mail/Nanos Nightly Tracking Poll, the Liberals are at 35.6 percent, followed by the Conservatives at 31 percent.

The federal government has offered no guarantees but expressed optimism the 12 countries involved might make it available before voting day in two weeks.

“For a while there, the NDP was in the race in the 905, but they’ve dropped off significantly”, said pollster and political strategist Greg Lyle, president of Innovative Research Group.

The Harper government lost its bid Tuesday to stop a woman from wearing a Muslim face covering while taking the oath of citizenship.

The riding of Hochelaga belonged to the Bloc Quebecois from 2004 to 2011, when the NDP claimed the seat as part of its orange wave in Quebec. Maybe, just maybe the party sees a few movement happening that warranted a visit by Trudeau. The plan, in essence, will cut taxes for the middle class, and instead shift the burden to the wealthiest individuals in our society. Mulcair says Trudeau “has slammed the door shut conclusively every time we’ve raised (the idea of a coalition)”.

News of a tentative agreement on the far-reaching, 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership sucked much of the oxygen out of the federal election campaign on Monday. Trudeau committed to having a full and open debate on the TPP in parliament.

“We need a prime minister who understands the needs of an aging population”, he said. And he went on that the NDP is “that positive voice for change”. Trudeau stated publicly in April that he wouldn’t even consider cooperation with the NDP unless Mulcair was personally out of the picture.

NDP leader Thomas Mulcair derided Harper for backing the 12-nation agreement in the midst of a campaign when the government is supposed to be in a neutral caretaker status.

Harper called the TPP “a great deal for Canada” at an event in Ontario and pledged that a re-elected Conservative government would “do whatever it takes” to ensure the success of Canada’s largest manufacturing sector.

Standing in front of a big banner announcing “1.3 million new jobs” Harper said the Conservatives are, “building a Canada that will be the best place on earth” to live and raise a family.

Nonetheless, and notwithstanding promises from the NDP, Liberals and Greens to introduce proportional representation, the 2015 election is not being fought with that system.

“The CBC connects Canadians from coast to coast and is at the heart of our Canadian identity”, said Mulcair. When Harper turned to the TPP he had one billion dollars in his hand to give to the auto sector. The Conservative Party would also allow students who are working to put more money in their Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs)-something the other parties promise to undo. Expect all three leaders to keep coming back to what each will do for the middle class. Winning also means targeting the ridings each party thinks is still in play or where a gain can be made.

But yesterday, a daily Nanos poll conducted for CTV suggested that the NDP is indeed continuing to bleed support to Trudeau’s Liberals.